Page 193 of Tiger's Voyage

“Then we won’t tell him, will we? I don’t have a mind to be shark bait.”

“Agreed. Let’s keep this to ourselves.” The man leaned over and a cloud of his stale breath washed over my face. “No more tricks, little missy. The boss told us all about you.”

I couldn’t reply though I thought of a few choice words to share. We went over a wave, and my paralyzed body slammed hard against the bottom of the boat, yet it felt like the softest of pillows to me. I couldn’t even begin to understand what had happened to Mr. Kadam and Nilima; so instead, my last thoughts were of Ren and Kishan.

I knew they’d survive the battle, and they’d probably be wily enough to get away. At least I’d helped to give them back eighteen hours. A tear squeezed out from my closed eyes and spilled over my cheek. Another fell on the other side. I thought it was only right that I shed one tear for each of my tigers, for I loved them both.

Phet said that I had to choose. Something I’d agonized over for months. But I didn’t understand then. Now I knew what he’d meant. I didn’t have to choosebetweenthem. I could just choose tosavethem. Both of them. They would live if I offered myself to Lokesh. Not that I wouldn’t struggle or try my best to escape, but if escape wasn’t an option, it was the last gift I could give my tigers.

Durga had said, “Regrets are only felt by those who do not understand life’s purpose.”

I know my purpose now, and I have no regrets. If they live, my sacrificewill have been worth it.Somehow my lips twisted into a smile, and I relinquished myself, sinking into oblivion.

EPILOGUE

Taken

The two men sped across India, stopping to rest only when necessary to refuel and eat. They slept only when the beast took over. They were relentless, both desperate to save the woman they loved. Both knowing it was unlikely they’d be able to save her in time. Still, they had to push on. They had to try.

By mutual decision, they pulled off the road and parked their motorcycles in the brush, far enough away that passersby wouldn’t see them. Ren pulled bread from a knapsack, tore the loaf in half, and threw a section to his brother. They chewed in silence, and it wasn’t long before they both reached for their cell phones, looking for the GPS dot that was all they had left of Kelsey.

“He’s moving her again,” Kishan said. “She’s traveling fast. Maybe by plane.”

Ren grunted in agreement. “Can you see Kadam?”

“No. Still nothing on him.”

With a sigh Ren slipped his cell phone into his bag and shrugged out of his racing jacket. His brother secured his helmet to the bike and kicked off his heavy boots. With his clothing neatly folded and placed in the motorcycle’s leather satchel, Ren finally allowed the tiger to take over his body.

The burning started in the pit of his stomach and spread to his limbs. Tremors shot down his arms. As his center of gravity shifted, his upper torso fell heavily to the ground. At the same time, his fingers curled up into his palms. Fur covered his body, and his whiskers emerged. The feeling always made him want to sneeze.

His claws were always the hardest change. They emerged like daggers from the skin between his knuckles—a weapon that was always a part of him, embedded in his tissue. Though he’d used and trained with weapons all of his life, Ren didn’t relish war or fighting like Kishan. He’d rather wage war verbally, around a table of advisers. He enjoyed games of strategy and clever battle tactics, but in his heart he craved peace. He longed for the life his parents had had before Lokesh. He wanted to make a home with the woman he loved and finally raise a family.

Ren circled the ground, pacing, as his restless mind worried about his lost woman. For the white tiger, it was simple. She was his mate. She belonged to him, and he wouldn’t rest until he found her and destroyed the threat that had taken her from him. For the man, the situation was more complicated. Despite her admitted love for him, she had decided to be with another. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, and it wearied him.

With a sigh he dropped to the ground and rested his head on his paws. He thought back to the time when they were together in Oregon. It seemed so long ago. She loved him then without reserve, without complication. So much had happened to them since. Ren closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift to her. He could still feel her though she was far away. The connection to her heart called to him as it always did across the long, lonely miles.

If only he could somehow reach through the wide expanse and pull her close into the safety of his arms. As he drifted off into a restless sleep, Ren thought he smelled her sweet scent surround him and felt the ghost of her touch as she kissed his nose and pillowed her head on his paws. Her beloved voice whispered softly on the breeze, “Mujhetumse pyarhai, Ren.” He caught the wisp of the thought, clung to it, and slept at last.